“The reason why Sunil Dutt said yes to Munna Bhai was because he wanted to work with his son” – Rajkumar Hirani

June 24, 2018 - 8:00 AM IST

Ranbir Kapoor will soon be seen in the film Sanju which is a biopic based on the life of actor Sanjay Dutt. But before the film releases, director Rajkumar Hirani divulged some details that has not only caught our attention but has also perked up our interest in the film. After revealing details about what to expect from the film, Hirani divulged what it was like working with the late Sunil Dutt.

“The reason why Sunil Dutt said yes to Munna Bhai was because he wanted to work with his son” – Rajkumar Hirani

Recounting his experience while shoot for the film Munna Bhai MBBS that featured both Sunil Dutt and son Sanjay Dutt, Hirani added, “Munna Bhai MBBS was a film that Dutt Saab was doing after 16 years. He had stopped making films since he was in politics, so when we approached him to do this film, he willing agreed. I think he also wanted to work with his son, because they had never done a film together, as in no scenes together. So yeah I had the good fortune of watching him first hand and seeing that old school discipline, where if it was a 9 o’clock shift, it meant that he would be there at 8.30.”

Going on further to recount an incident that really touched him, Hirani spoke about Sunil Dutt’s request, modesty and discipline saying, “Once Dutt saab had asked his script to be written in Urdu so we got a writer and all his scenes and dialogues were written in Urdu and given to him. And what was very moving for me was that whenever we do dubbing which sometimes happens six-eight months after wrapping the shoot, most actors don’t have their script. But when Dutt saab came he had carried his script, walked up to the mic and said, 'kaunsa scene hai bolo' and he flipped through the pages and did it.”

Later highlighting Sunil Dutt’s humility and modesty, Raju Hirani recounted yet another instance when Dutt was shooting. “Another time while shooting I tried coaxing him to come see the shot on the monitor. Dutt saab replied, 'Hamare zamaane mein toh monitor nahi hua karta tha, aur woh kaam to director ka hai mein kyun dekhun... aap bataao theek hai, ya phir wapis karta hoon’ (Back in my days there were no monitors, and it is the director’s job, what will I do by seeing the shot on the monitor… you watch it and tell me if it is fine, if not let’s do a retake)... there were also times when we had multiple takes and he would stand there like a rockstar and do them.... you could see the discipline of an actor.”

While Sunil Dutt will certainly be missed, Rajumar Hirani also revealed what really drew him to making Sanju saying, “What attracted me to this film was the father - son relationship. The rest of Sanju's life is known to people. They know he did drugs, they know he kept the gun all that material is available. So the core is primarily a father - son story and a friendship story.”

Sanju which stars Ranbir Kapoor is slated to release on June 29.

Also Read: REVEALED: Here’s how long the Rajkumar Hirani film SANJU is